It's Me!

About Me

I'm 24. I was born 3 months early. I've been a vegetarian since birth, and I love Harry Potter, Disney, taking pictures, and baking. College graduate, studied journalism.
I work at Disney World in Florida; I've worked in Fantasyland Attractions, as a Character Attendant, and now am a Guest Relations Hostess. I love my job.
I've met President Obama, Daniel Radcliffe, President Clinton, Ricky Ullman, and Betty White!

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Friday, April 30, 2010

In the Disney website that I could log on to after I was hired, there are some lists. The first one I'm posting is a list of things they suggest to bring with you. I'm also including some personal things I'm planning on bringing with me for my 6 months in Florida.

The Harry Potter Books. Well, probably not all of them. But I'm definitely bringing some of my favorite books.

I met Ricky Ullman from 'Phil of the Future' when I was 16. I also got to dance with him (swing dance and slow dance), one of the high points of my life. I'm bringing this picture, as well as some others.

I thought that I had heard the last from the texting-while-driving, runs-red-lights, tells-me-I'm-a-bitch guy. But I was wrong. Last night, this happened.

C says:
So you don't talk to me anymore now that "our personalities don't work well together"?
I've seen ugliness in people. But I didn't expect it from you.Anna says:
I am allowed to change my mind about someone. I just don't think I can be friends with you.C says:
You don't even know meAnna says:
You're rightC says:
But it's okay. Because unlike you, I've good reason to have no respect for you.Anna says:
That's fine. C says:
Thus, the metaphorical ocean that I am, is completely undisturbed by you
I guess I'm just suprised to see someone whom I felt such a connection with....turn out as pathetic as those I loath and detest in life.Anna says:
Dude, you told me I had a stick up my ass
and then you told me you wanted to 'rock my world'C says:
Sorry
Guess I thought your eyes were sharp enough to see through a surface battered and torn into shape by a world so harsh.Anna says:
I guess not
I really do wish you good luck, with life and your businessC says:
I'll not need it. I'm a good person.
You on the other hand..
Good luck Anna says:
Thanks

Once again, I think that this is the last I’ll hear from him. Once again, I’m proven wrong as I’m hanging out with a friend after working in the box office. We're sitting on the couch. I had told her the story and gotten sympathy, which was what I needed at the time. Then, my phone starts vibrating. I look at the screen. The boy is calling.

Wait. What?

I answer, and he asks me what I’m doing.
“I just got done with work.” My mind is racing-why is he calling me now? Does he have STDs? I thought I would never see him again after last week. What does he want? Does he want to see me? Do I want to see him? What’s going on?
My friend takes one look at my face, and takes my hand.
“Oh, well I bought some good beer, do you want to hang out?” His Irish accent is back, is he drunk right now? Does he want to get me drunk and have sex again? Because that’s not going to happen. Do I want to see him?
I keep talking to him, keeping my answers as short as possible. My mind is still racing. He tells me that I should call him.
“Okay. Yes. I will do that.”
I hang up the phone, and look at my friend. She immediately gives me a big hug, reassuring me that everything’s okay.
I get a text from him. ‘call me when you on your own and there arn retarded motherfuckers laughing in the background.’
My response ‘Um, okay.’

Yes, I send grammatically correct text messages.

He replies ‘I bought a case of good beer if you would like to hang out.’

'Would like to'? So polite! My inner chivalry whore is impressed.

I look at my friend, and tell her that I need to leave. My mind is going crazy, and I need to be on my own for a while. She tells me to call her, and that she’ll come over after the show. We hug goodbye, and I walk slowly back to my room. Some things become clear. Yes. I do want to see him again, even if it’s just to ream him out for lying to me. Yes, I am unbelievably, ferociously attracted to him, even though I shouldn’t be.

What if he wants to kiss me? I think I’ll let him? What if he wants to have sex? No. Not tonight. What’s going on? I have no fucking idea.

I get to my room, say hi to my fish Neville and Dumbledore, and call him. He again asks if I want him to come over and says that he has good beer.
“Well, I don’t think that I’ll drink, but I’d like to see you.”
“Maybe I can change your mind?”
“Well, you are good at that.”

He and I agree to meet by the bear statue on the Oval.
I see him walking towards me, with that gorgeous smile, and beautiful gray coat and blue scarf and handsome face. And for some stupid, stupid reason, all the anger flies out of my head. He kisses me hello and tells me “You taste delicious. Like lemonade.” He takes my hand and we start walking towards my dorm. He lights a cigarette, and he puts my arm through his. Seriously, it’s period romance time again.

I ask him how he’s doing and he says “I’m angry.”
“Why?”
“I’m angry all the time, the world is shit! Why aren’t you angry?”
“Well, I agree that some things in the world are awful, but I don’t see the use or reason in getting really pissed off.”
“Why the hell not?”
“You know why, I’m so cheerful it’s a little absurd and I’d rather not screw that up.”

We get to the dorm, and he’s still smoking. After he talks with a friend for a bit, I playfully ask “Can you smoke that faster? I’m cold.” He tells me to go inside and he’ll be in soon. I head upstairs and as I’m walking down the hallway, I hear a whistle. I turn around and see the boy.

I ask him “Isn’t that how you whistle to a dog? Because that might be a little offensive.”
He smiles his rakish grin and says “No, it’s my bird call” as he puts his arm around me.

Cute? How British?

When we get to my room I tell him “I’m surprised you called, I thought I wouldn’t see you again.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Well, the way you left last time was weird and uncomfortable, and I was confused and I cried.”
He gives me a long hug. “I’m so sorry, I was freaked out. That’s part of why I called you, I wanted to apologize. I’m really sorry.”
“Oh. Well. Thank you.”
“I didn’t mean to be a jerk, I’m sorry.”
“Well, I might use a stronger word than jerk.”
“Why?”
“Um, you left me with a pregnancy scare and an STD scare.”
“Hey, that’s not my fault.”

Suddenly, I turn British for no discernible reason.
“It bloody well is your fault! It’s all your fucking fault! I’ve only slept with two guys before you, and both of them were clean.”
He hugs me again and starts rubbing my back and kissing my hair.
“Look, I’m really sorry.”
“Have you been tested for STDs?”
“No.”

Shit.

“Do you use a condom with every girl that you sleep with?”
“90 percent of the time.”

Merde.

“Oh yeah? When’s that?”
“When I’m sober.”
“Okay, I’m telling you this both as a concerned friend and concerned party in this situation. You should get yourself tested.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Um….so when you sleep with someone, you can tell them honestly that you don’t have any STDs? For your own peace of mind?”
“Oh. Maybe I will.”
“Yeah. Um, how many girls have you slept with?”
“I don’t keep track of that.”

Merde again.

“Well, how about the last two months?”
“I don’t count.”
“Well in that case, you really need to get tested.”
“I’ll think about it, I promise.”
He slings his backpack on my bed and pulls out some Montana-made beer. I decline, and give him my bottle opener.

He sits down at my desk and I perch on my bed. He turns around.
“Why are you sitting all the way over there?” he asks.
“Um. I’m afraid that if I get too close to you, you’ll convince me that we should have sex again and I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
He laughs a little, and shakes his head. “Why would you think that?”
“Um, because you’re really incredibly good at convincing me to do things, and it would be a mistake. A huge mistake. ”

Matt stands up and comes over. “Hey, move over a little.”
I scoot over and he asks “What do you want right now?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course.”
I think for a little bit, and carefully say “I want someone who won’t lie to me, and I want guys to respect me and…I don’t want to be the 24 hour girl.”
He puts his arms around me and says “Well, I’ll just hold you for now and you can know that I’m going to do everything I can to never hurt you again. I really like you a lot, and I’m sorry I freaked you out.”

After a bit, he says “Hey, are your roommates here?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“Let’s go see if they want to drink!”
“Um, I’m pretty sure they don’t.”
“Well, you should go ask. Please?”
“Um…alright.”

I go to my roommate's door, and see that she’s in the room with a friend. I ask them if they want some beer, and the boy comes and puts his arm around me. He invites them to drink, and they both decline. He then asks “Hey, do either of you have a car?” Thankfully, they both lie and tell him no. Earlier in the night, he had suggested getting really drunk and then “seeing what kind of trouble we can get in” all over Missoula. I told him that sounded like an awful idea.

We go back into my room, and he mutters under his breath “Bitch.”
“Um, what did you just say?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay, you either called me, my roommate, or my friend a bitch, and that’s not cool.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I’m a little angry right now. I think that you should leave.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“I know. Right now, that’s not really what I need.”

He kisses me again. And out of my mouth, the stupid words come stupidly tumbling out. “Am I going to see you again?”
“I hope so, I’d like to see you again.”
“I’d like to see you again too. But I think we should take this break and spend it apart and see what happens when we both come back in January.”
He agrees. “That sounds fair. But I’m getting a new phone in January.”
“Well, you’ll still have my phone number. I’m sure we’ll get ahold of each other somehow.”
“Okay.”

He puts his coat and backpack on. He still has his unfinished beer in hand as he starts walking towards the door.
I ask him practically “Do you want to finish your beer before you leave?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Well, I hope you don’t get caught.”
“I never do.”
“Okay, have a good break. Try to stay safe?”
He makes a face. “I don’t want to hear that.”
“Okay, what do you want to hear?”
“Fuck yeah!”
Laughingly, I tell him “Have a stellar break.”

The next time I saw him was in March. We did the awkward hello, and went our separate ways.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

I promised my friend Stephen (Hi! *waves*) a happy story about a boy to counterbalance all the bad.

A friend from a class invited me over to her house for a ‘shindig’. And who am I to refuse an invitation to a shindig? She and her boyfriend came to pick me up. I got in the car, only to be told that her boyfriend’s cousin was coming too.

Um. Okay.

I immediately picture a 16 year-old boy, not unlike one of my cousins when he was younger. But then there’s this guy in a black t-shirt, black UM baseball cap and jeans walking towards the car. He gets in-and my jaw mentally drops. He has black curly hair, blue/green eyes and is really handsome. He introduces himself to me. 20 year old sophomore, business major.

So we eventually get to my friend's house. We all troop inside, and my friend tells me that there’s a Jack Russell Terrier (a Wishbone dog! See the picture if you don't get the reference) and a 13 week-old kitten. Awww! Yes!

We start off playing a card game, and then move on to beer pong. It’s my friend and me against her boyfriend and the boy. They win. I blow at beer pong. My friend drinks all my beer as well as hers.

Bud Light is gross.

More people keep arriving, and the boy and I play beer pong against my friend's roommate Andrea and her boyfriend. We lose. We keep playing drinking games, this time with cards. There aren’t enough chairs, so my friend's boyfriend brings in 2 chairs from outside-but the boy tells me to sit on his lap.

Okay! Yay!

His arm is around me and I’m enjoying myself so much. He’s caressing my back and my legs and my arms sort of subtly. Everyone decides they want to go outside and smoke. I decide that I want to stay inside because it’s warm and I don’t smoke. I’m still sitting on his lap. He kisses my hair and my back.
So I turn my face and he kisses my cheek and I turn my head a little more and we kiss. And we keep kissing. And we kiss some more.
I have to check to make sure, so I ask “You don’t have a girlfriend, do you?”
“Nope.”
Kiss.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No, I don’t.”

Everyone comes back in and we keep playing drinking games. I decide then I’m done drinking and joining in the proverbial reindeer games. So I go and play with the adorable kitten. The boy comes and joins me on the couch. He puts his arm around me and we start kissing again. I’m aware that there are about 8 other people in the room, but I guess I figured the baseball cap would hide the face that the boy and I are making out?

I don’t know.

My friend's boyfriend sees us and comes over and yells “That’s some half-assed make out session. Get into it!” We ignore him.

Eventually, the next-door neighbors leave and everyone goes to bed. The boy and I are left in the living room. We look at each other. He asks me where I’m planning on sleeping. I’m blunt because I’m tired.
“Here? I’m sure as hell not walking back to campus at 2 in the morning.”

We kiss some more and get water. We keep kissing. Eventually we make our way back to the couch and keep kissing.

The boy moves the two couches together because he’s smart- so we have more space and we keep making out. I’m blunt again.

“I really want to sleep with you.”
He goes “We are. Kind of.”
“Should I be more specific?”
“No, I knew what you meant.”
“Your turn to ask a question.”
“Have you ever had sex?”
“Yes. You?”
He looks me in the eyes and says frankly “No.”

Huh.

So I ask him, “Have you ever been kissed?”
He looks at me like I’m crazy. “Yes, of course.”

He then tells me “I think I’d like to see you again” and I say “I want to see you again too.”

The plan to sleep on the couch together has turned into a big long make out session. We keep saying that we’re going to sleep, and then we kiss and talk and kiss some more. The actual sleeping doesn’t happen until 6:30 in the morning.

I gave him a backrub and then he asked me if I wanted one.

Yes please.

He gave me a backrub and then while he was doing it, he kept kissing my back and it was absolutely incredible. Weird, but incredible.
He asks me “What are you sleeping in?”
“Um…my clothes?”
“Do you want my shirt?”
“I’ll never turn down an offer of clothing from a cute boy.”
He gave me his shirt to wear. He then says “You're so beautiful.”

Later, I ask him “Pirates or ninjas?”
“Ooh, that’s tough. I would say ninjas because they wear all black and I like black. They're stealthy, but I’m gonna have to go with pirates.”

We exchanged numbers the next day on the car ride back to campus. I called him once, and he never called me back. Of course, after that night I see him all the time on campus and it’s an awkward “Hey, what’s up?” with a ‘my tongue has been in your mouth a lot’ subtext. Yikes.

I try and forget about him over Thanksgiving; I convince myself that it was a one-night thing. And besides, he seemed a bit crazy! But he's such a good kisser, my betraying mind keeps telling me. And he took you out to breakfast! After sex! That only happens on 'Sex and the City'! my mind taunts me.

I call him around 5, on the Monday I get back, because I couldn't stop thinking about him. He calls me around 11 and tells me that he wants to see me again.

Yay!

He tells me that he’s smoking pot and drinking with friends, and that he’ll call me in an hour.

Classy.

I get a call from him at 11:11.

Make a wish!

“I’m outside at the bus stop.” He kisses me hello, and puts his arm around me as we walk inside and upstairs to my room.

He smiles at me, and says "Look what I have!" as he pulls a bottle of whiskey out of his backpack. I hardly ever drink, so I decline. He says he wants to show me something on youtube, and starts showing me music videos. We keep kissing, and I tell him “I’m so glad you called me.”
He laughs a little and smiles as he says “Who else would I call?”
I jokingly say, “Well, you’re so handsome that there must be other girls.”
He kisses me again and says “Nope. You’re the only one.”

Aw!

Sex happens. It's college. But then, it hurts hurts hurts like a motherfucker. Ow ow fuckity ow! Something went wrong down there, and I curl up into the fetal position. He rubs my back and assures me that it’s okay. We talk a little more, it’s 2am.

He then tells me:
“I’m going back to Boston in two weeks.”
“I know, I’m going back to Helena in three for Christmas break.”
My curiosity kicks in. “Did you sleep with anyone in Idaho?”
“No.”
“Are you planning on sleeping with people in Boston?”
“Yeah.”
Alright, okay, I can deal with that. I say “Okay. Do you just want to see where we’re at in January?”

Then, then, then, he says very casually:
“I’m sleeping with a lot of other people on campus.”

WAIT JUST A GODDAMN SECOND. Whatever happened to: "Nope, you're the only one?" Boooo. What is this?

As it's 2am, I'm trying to process this information. “Oh. Um. Okay. Are you going to sleep with your ex-girlfriend in Boston?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Are you going to get back together with her?”
“I’m going to marry her.”

WAIT JUST ANOTHER GODDAMN SECOND. QUE?

“Oh. Um. Are you going to marry her over Christmas break?”
“No, in about three years.”

WHAT? What is this? He's going to marry his ex-girlfriend? Does she even know about this plan?

He gets up. I’m sleepy and confused and hurt.
“Where are you going?”
He tells me “I’m getting really angry right now, and I have to leave.”

Pardon?

I ask him “Is there anything I can do to help dissipate your anger?”

Yeah, that's right. Dissipate. I went there.

“No. I’m going to lose control soon, and I need to get out of here. I don’t want to be here.” He starts shaking his head and getting dressed.
“Um, did I do something wrong?”
“No. I just need to get back to my room.”
I’m trying to be all cute as I say “Well, you’re not going to leave me naked in bed all alone, are you?”
He pauses as he’s putting his brown corduroy pants on. “You can put your clothes on.”

Ouch, motherfucker. Ouch.

I put some clothes on, and ask if he wants me to walk him downstairs.
“Sure.”

I ask if I’m going to see him again. I don't know what's come over me, he's obviously batshit insane. I guess I am as well.

He says “Tomorrow is a stranger; we don’t know what it will bring.”

How poetic.

I could’ve done with a yes or no.
He gets this look on his face and gives me a long kiss and incredible hug and tells me “It’s not your fault.”

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I've wanted to work for Disney since I was little. My first year of college, I started researching ways to do that. I looked up auditions, since I wanted to be a princess. I discovered that to be Belle (my favorite Princess), you had to be 5'7. I'm 5'1, so that was a downer. I went to the informational meeting on campus in October 2007, and applied. I thought that there were summer jobs available (May-August), until halfway through my phone interview. She informed me that it was a semester-long program, and I thanked her for her time as I told her "I don't think I can do that yet. I just started my first semester of college, and I don't think my parents would want me to go gallivanting off to a magical land just yet." She laughed and told me that she hoped to talk to me later.

I applied again in August of 2009 for the Spring 2010 program (January-August). My interview lasted about half an hour, and I hung up the phone feeling hopeful. In October, I got the 'pending' letter, telling me to call December 1 if nothing happened. December 1, I called, and they told me I was still pending. Yikes, but good, I thought.

However, later that afternoon, I got this:

Which is something no one really ever wants to see. I cried, but it made me even more determined to get hired at the Happiest Place on Earth.

So in April of 2010, I went to the recruiting session on campus once again. Filled out the application, did the online interview, and got this 15 minutes later:

"Next Steps - Phone Interview

Thank you for completing the Web-Based Interview and for applying to be a part of the Disney College Program.Congratulations – you have been identified as a strong candidate!"

YES!
I called right then and there, but the office was closed. I called the next morning before class, and set up my interview for March 24. It went well, and I told her that I would love to work in Attractions or as a Character Attendant. At the end of the interview, I told her "I really, really hope I get hired. I've applied twice before, and I know that I would be perfect there, because I'm almost absurdly cheerful. Thanks for this opportunity." She laughed a little and told me "I hope you get hired too, but I can't promise anything." I thanked her again, and hung up the phone. My interview lasted 14 minutes and 54 seconds, when it was supposed to last 20-30 minutes. I remember thinking 'well, I either really got the job, or they're never going to hire me.'

I then got this email on March 25:"Dear Anna,Thank you for taking the time to interview for the Disney College Program at the Walt Disney World® Resort.

You should hear from us again in about 3 - 4 weeks. If you haven't received any mail from us after the 4th week...."

Okay, great! Awesome. A month. I can do that.

I headed to Portland with my mom, brother and his girlfriend for spring break, trying to not focus on that. On the second day of driving there, I was checking my email at 6am, when I saw this in my email inbox:Disney College Program: Your Invitation (March 27)

......OH MY GOD.

Of course, I opened it. My hand was shaking.

I stared at it, and then started crying. I ran into the breakfast nook in the hotel lobby, and told my mom "I did it. I got hired. I'm going to work at Disney World!!!!"

She gave me a huge hug and started doing the mom exclamation thing that I love. I vividly remember this random old guy in a trucker hat saying "Congratulations!" as he drank his coffee and watched CNN.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Eat to the Beat Concert Series is part of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.
When I'm going to be there, it's from October 1-November 14. There's a global food marketplace, seminars, wine tastings, and gourmet meals with famous chefs.

Unnecessary Prologue: I have fish. At my university, you're only allowed to have pets that can live underwater for 24 hours. I thought about trying to find an aquatic kitten, but took the easy way out. Since October, I've had a Hermione, a Luna, a Neville, and currently own Dumbledore, Dobby, and Oliver Wood. Yeah, all Harry Potter characters. I'm cool? Not really.

Anyway, it was the night before Thanksgiving break. I’m leaving Tuesday afternoon, it's Monday evening. I have all these plans-I’m going to go return my library book across the bridge to the public library, buy some pasta at Albertson’s, clean my fish bowl, do my laundry, pack-in general, be a responsible young adult.

So I return my library book, and it’s around 7pm. It’s not really advisable for me to walk across the pedestrian bridge at night, due to the fact that I’m small and could be easily overtaken by creepers, if they so chose. So I walk to the bridge, and I see two guys coming towards me. I ask them if there are any sketchy people on the bridge.
“Yeah” one says. “You should go another way.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, they’re creepy.”
“All right, thank you!”

I turn to leave and see three people walking towards me from campus, a girl and two guys. One is really handsome. I quickly mentally evaluate them and decide they seem safe. I ask if they would be willing to walk across the bridge with me.

“Of course!” the handsome guy says, and offers me his arm. I take it, and it’s like something from a period romance novel. I feel like I should be wearing a long dress with a corset and hair in curls piled on top of my head.

We’re walking across the bridge and he introduces himself to me. We keep talking, and he sees the people sitting on the bridge.
He says “Hey, I know them! Is it okay we go say hi?”
“Um, sure.”
He and I walk up to the three homeless guys on the bridge, and the guy promises them some whiskey. One of the guys looks at me, and tells the guy “You have one hell of a wonderful woman there. You sure are lucky.”

I had never seen this guy before. Ever.

The boy puts his arm around me and says “I know, I’m going to take good care of her.” I thought that we were pretending, so I smile and nod.

We walk away, and I ask him how he knows them. “Oh, I gave them my blankets a couple days ago.” I ask him why. He looks at me, and says very seriously “They needed them more than I did.”

Aww!

My heart melted a little. We reached the apex of where Albertson's and the liquor store is, and he asks me where I’m headed. I tell him that I’m going to go get dinner. He asks me “You’re not eating all alone, are you?”
“Um, yes?”
“Well, do you want to hang out for a while?”
“Yeah!” All thoughts of responsibility flew out of my head.

His friends, the boy and I walked across the street to the liquor store. The girl went in to buy the alcohol, and the boy and I sat down on a nearby bench. He’s the same age as me, he’s a freshman majoring in history, and he’s from outside Boston. He has this delightful rakish grin, big beautiful brown eyes, about 6 inches taller than me, and a slight Irish accent for no discernible reason.

We start walking back to campus, and go to his room in one of the dorms. His roommate’s there writing a paper, so we go to his friend’s room. They start drinking, and offer me a beer. I have no intention of getting drunk, so I decline. He asks me if I want to go outside so he can smoke. I’m apparently all about befriending smokers this year.

So he and I go downstairs, holding hands. Delightful! He starts smoking, and runs his hand through my hair. “You shampoo your hair way too much” he observes.
“Whoa, judgmental, do you want me to judge your appearance?” I cleverly retort.
He smiles that devastating smile. “Sure.”
I look at him and end up mumbling “You’re really handsome.” He puts his hat on my head, and looks at me and says “You’re incredibly beautiful.” I thank him, and a couple minutes pass. He looks directly at me and says “I might kiss you now.”

It was like from a movie.

I replied “I might really enjoy that.” We move towards each other. Then we kiss, a soft short one and then a long kiss, and it was pretty awesome. We keep kissing, and our arms are around each other, his cigarette long forgotten. We break apart, and he asks “Do you have a roommate?”
“Nope.”
“Want to go to your room?”
“Yes. Yes I do.” We go back upstairs to his room so he can grab his coat and other things. We go outside and suddenly we’re making out in the hallway, his arms slide down my body.
"Whoa, dude. Not here. I have some form of public decency. Let’s go to my room.”
We walk to my dorm, holding hands and kissing the whole way.

So, we have sex. It happens. It was probably a lethal combination of 'I give homeless people my blankets, because I'm awesome' and 'I'm a really good kisser.'

I had told him earlier that I had to write a paper. So I'm at my computer, typing away, when I hear something weird, like heavy breathing.

Sort of afraid to turn around, I ask him "hey, is everything okay?"
He sniffs. "No".
"Um, what's wrong?"
He mumbles something about his ex-girlfriend.
"Um, what?" I turn around.
"My ex-girlfriend was raped!" he cries as he starts sobbing.
"...Oh my god."
"And I wasn't there! I couldn't be a hero!"
"Dude, what?"
"It's all my fault!"
"Did you rape her?"
"No."
"Then it's not your fault."
He's still crying as he asks "Will you hold me?"

Full of compassion, I give him a big hug. We cuddle for awhile, tears are still streaming down his face.
"Can I ask when this happened?"
He lets out a big, heavy sigh. "Three years ago."

Yikes.

Then, he punches my wall.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing? My roommate's in there! Why did you just punch my wall?"
"I should've been there!"

Then, he just....falls asleep. Or passes out. I check to make sure he's still breathing, and finish my paper, checking on him every 5-10 minutes. No one can say I don't care about his well-being.

Eventually, I get in bed, and go to sleep. I wake up with his arms wrapped around me, and he kisses me and asks "Can I take you to breakfast?"

I'm never one to turn down free food. So I say yes. I gingerly ask "Um, what do you remember from last night?"
"We had really good sex."
"...So. You don't remember crying and punching my wall?"
"Oh my god. No."
"Ah. You were more drunk than I thought."
"Did I really do that?"
"You sure did."

I take a shower, and meet him outside. We go to breakfast hand in hand, he keeps kissing my forehead and lips and cheek and the side of my head and puts his arm around me as we go to Food for Thought.

As we’re leaving the restaurant, he puts his arm around me and draws me in and kisses the side of my head and says “You’re beautiful.”

We go back to my room so he can get his backpack and stuff, and he tells me “I want to see you again.”

Monday, April 26, 2010

Last year, before school finished for summer, I got a facebook message from my First Kiss Boy who’s in one of the Dakotas-North or South, I can never remember.Hmm, I thought. I could go for a summer romance-fling-type-thing. That was unintentional rhyming.

So First Kiss Boy took me out to ice cream. He made amends for being a jackass in high school, told me I was “even prettier and cuter” than he remembered, and asked if I wanted to go to a movie with him that night.

I did. We saw Star Trek, holding hands through the whole movie, and then went to the midnight showing of Up a couple hours later. Up is one of my favorite movies.

He drove me home in between the movies and parked his car. “I really want to kiss you. How would you feel about that?” I responded “I think I would be okay with that.” He kissed me, and while it was really nice, there weren’t any magical fireworks. But that wasn’t what I was looking for.

First Kiss Boy took me to movies, and we would make out in his car afterward. One night, he came over to my house and after talking about how we didn’t want to date each other (always a good conversation to have), we were making out when he suddenly breaks away and says “Would you like to dance?” I confusedly replied “Um, there’s no music.” He pulled me off my bed, and starts trying to slow dance with me. I’m a little befuddled, but trying to go with it.

Then he asks what time it is, and I tell him. “Shit! I have to work tomorrow!” I walk him to the door, and he tells me that he’ll call me tomorrow.

Okay. So he calls me, and I’m headed to the one-act plays at the local community theatre. I invite him, and he tells me that he’ll try and make it. I go, with no intention of seeing him, skirt and heels on, head held high. I watch the one acts with some friends and make an unobtrusive exit once they end.

I’m waiting to cross at the light when First Kiss Boy pulls up. “Where are you going?” “Home.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, do you want to hang out?” “Sure.” We go and get food, and drive around for a while. Eventually, he asks if I want to go to his house. I had never been there before, so I say yes.

We get to his house. His parents are in the living room. “Anna! We’ve heard so much about you! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” “Oh, thank you so much! Your house is lovely.” First Kiss Boy and I go up the stairs to his room, and start making out. His hand starts to go under my skirt, and I move it. “Oh. Right. I’m celibate” he says.
“Wait. What? Since when?”
“Since I decided I wanted to re-virginize myself for marriage.”
“Oh. Um, okay.”You can't re-virginize yourself, buddy.

We keep kissing, and the he pulls away and sighs a deep, heavy sigh.

“What’s up?” I ask.
“This is weird.”
“How so?”
“I don’t like you. Not in that way.”
“Okay. Then you should probably take me home.”
He nods in assent, and we walk downstairs.
“Leaving so soon, Anna?” his mom cheerfully asks.
“Yeah, thanks for having me over. It was nice to meet you.”
“You too, dear. Watch out for the steps.”
“Will do.”

First Kiss Boy and I get into his car, and he starts driving me home. We’re both immersed in our thoughts when he breaks the silence.
“Anna, I need to tell you something.”

Oh shit, this sentence never leads to anything good.

“Okay.”
“I don’t like you. I’m in love with this gorgeous volunteer firefighter, and I never should have done anything with you. It was wrong, all wrong, and I was wrong, because I like her too much and respect her too much to do anything with you. Besides, we’re both different people than we were in high school, and I’m just not interested in you at all.”
“Okay, thanks for telling me the truth, I guess? I hope things work out with the firefighter?”
He finally gets to my house, and he sticks his hand out to shake.
“Friends?” he asks with that ever-so-charming smile of his.
“No, we weren’t friends to begin with. But I hope everything works out for you.”

I shut the car door, and make my way to the front door, shaking my head.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Earlier this week, it was the first nice day in Montana in awhile. It was so gorgeous outside, 80 degrees and sunny, not much wind. People were playing frisbee on the Oval, smoking hookahs outside, slacklining, and playing soccer. I discovered some chalk my mom had given me a few months ago, and headed outside to draw.

As I was drawing Godzilla attacking a city, a shadow loomed over my drawing. I was listening to music, so I took off my headphones and looked up.

Standing there was a guy who lives on my floor in my dorm. He told me last semester that he had a crush on me, and I told him that I didn't feel the same way. Ever since then, we said hi to each other when we passed, but that was it.

He said hi. I said hello back.
"Whatcha drawing?" he asked.
"Oh, you know. Godzilla attacking a city."
"Looks more like a retarded T-Rex to me."
"Oh."
"And that apartment building you just drew? Looks like a glass with weird ice cubes in it."
"Are you here just to insult me?"
"No, I just got back from Albertson's. Had to take off my shirt and throw it in the river, it's damn hot outside."
"Oh."
"What are you doing?"
"....Coloring."
"I have a question."
"What's your question?"
"Are you a virgin?"

.....

"Pardon?"
"You don't even have to answer, that said it all. Of course you are, why else would you be out here?"
"Um...."
"Dude, there are so many hot girls out on the Oval right now."
"You should go talk to them."
"Are you telling me to fuck off and go away?"
"Bascially, yeah."
"Well, have fun with your chalk, virgin."
He walks away.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

The next day, I was sitting in my room, watching a movie, when I noticed the cellist's business card on my desk. 'I might as well call him', I thought. 'What's the worst that could happen?' He answered his phone.
"Hi, this is Anna."
"Oh, Anna! I'm so happy you called me!"
"Oh, well, that's good."
"What are you doing?"
"Watching a movie."
"Oh, well what are you doing tomorrow? Have you ever seen the original Dawn of the Dead?"
"Um, no. I haven't."
"Do you want to watch it with me?"
"I guess."

At this point, I still thought he was homeless, so I cleverly asked "Where do you live?"
"In an apartment by the Iron Horse."
"Oh, okay. Cool."
"Do you want to meet me somewhere tomorrow? What time works for you?"
"Around 2 sounds good to me."
"Okay, well, let's meet at Liquid Planet (a coffee shop downtown), is that okay?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll see you tomorrow."
"It's so good to hear your voice, you sound just as beautiful on the phone."
"Um. Thank you. Bye."

I hung up, and thought about for awhile, weighing my options. I decided to go through with it, and made a plan with two of my friends that if I sent them a text, they would call me and I could leave gracefully.

The next day, I put on a sweatshirt and jeans, and went to eat breakfast. Then I called my mom, and she was convinced that I was going to get raped and murdered and left in a dark alley. I laughed it off, and told her I would call her after to prove that I was still alive and well. As I walked to Liquid Planet, my mom's warnings started to seep into my head.

What if he is a rapist? Or a kitten molester? What do I know about him, really? Is this a good idea, watching a movie with someone I hardly know?What if he tries something? I'll knee him in the liver and poke his eyes out and run like hell.

I almost turned back twice, but I eventually made it to the coffee shop. I saw him sitting outside....and oh shit.
He had shaved his beard off, cut his hair, was wearing a really nice purple dress shirt and nice dress pants. I looked down at my red hoodie and jeans. Granted, there weren't holes in the jeans, but they were still jeans. I get to him, and the first words out of his mouth are "Hi Anna. Wow, you look so beautiful."
I thank him, and he asks if I want something to drink. "No thanks."

This is not a date. This is not a date.

We start walking, and he says "Tell me something about yourself."
"Okay, well, I really love Harry Potter."
"I hate Harry Potter."
"Um. Okay. Well, have you read the books?"
"Why would I want to read that crap?"
"Allright. Well, have you seen the movies?"
"I've seen 5 minutes of the first one, and it was just awful. How can you like that god-awful stuff?"
"Well, I do. I grew up with the books."

He then asks "Have you ever read His Dark Materials?"
"The Golden Compass trilogy? Yeah, I read them last year. My family was badgering me to read them for forever, and I finally did. I thought they were pretty good."
"Pretty good? What were you reading? They're the best books ever written."
I jokingly said "I don't think I'd go that far, but it was fun to read."
"Didn't it make you examine your beliefs about God? And life?"
"No, not really. I cried when Lee Scoresby died."
"You cry when you read?"
"Yes."

We get to his apartment, and go inside. He opens the door for me in this run-down apartment building, complete with peeling paint and lots of weeds in the front yard, and we go into this dark, musty smelling hallway. He leads me down the hallway past the staircase to another door, and opens this one for me as well.

I unintentionally wrinkle my nose at the smell, like socks and dirty laundry and some sort of meat. He apologizes for the mess, DVDs are everywhere. He moves some clothes off the couch, and invites me to sit down as he checks the kitchen. He comes out, and says "well, none of my roommates are here."
"How many people do you live with?"
"Five guys."
"Five? Okay, and how many bedrooms are there?"
"Just one."

Sausage fest!

He sits down at the opposite end of the couch, and asks excitedly "Do you want to watch Children of Men?!"
I reply "Is it going to depress me?!"
"Yeah!"
"I would rather not."
He puts on some other DVD, and in the first five minutes of the movie, the guys onscreen are talking about "eating someone out" in more vulgar words. Yikes. That offends my delicate female sensibilities, but I don't say anything.

He looks at me, and goes "So tell me, Anna. What else do you like?"
"I really like Disney movies."
"Really? Really? You realize that Disney is destroying the world, right?"
"Umm. No."
"He is. Princesses and princes? Those don't exist. Do you want to live inside your mind?"
"Not all the time, but the movies are a nice escape for me."
"Why?"
"It proves that romance wasn't always dead, and that good things can happen."
He stares at me and says "That was a shit answer."
"Well, it's how I feel."

We sit in silence for a few minutes, and then he suddenly asks "Is this is a date?"
"Not really."
"Well, I'm just going to imagine it is one" he says as he closes his eyes.
He opens them a little later, and says "Anna, you're really beautiful. How would you feel about dating me?"
I stare at him. "Well, how old are you?"
"31."

Oh my god.

"Okay, I have a few problems."
"Tell me."
"Well, you're 11 years older than me, to start with."
"It's only 11 years! If you were 18, that'd be a big difference. But you're not."
I stare at him again. "Dude, I was 18 two years ago."
"What else?"
"Well, do you have a job?"
"No, I spend six days a week perfecting my art."

Oh my god.

"What do you do on the seventh day?"
"I relax."
"Oh. Great."
"Yeah, I'm trying to save up enough money to buy a car."
"You're 31, and you don't have a job or a car?"
"Life isn't about material possessions, Anna."
"All right."
"What other problems do you have with dating me?"
"I've been hurt a lot in these last few months, and I'm trying to protect my heart."
"Don't worry, I won't do what those guys did. I'm different."
I stare at him again. "You don't even know what they did!"

He then asks, obviously trying to change the subject "Hey, can I play my cello for you?"
"Sure."
"Oh, no, I'm too nervous."
"...Okay."
"Well, I have some of my compositions on my laptop. Do you want to hear those?"
"Yeah, I'd love to."
"Oh, but I don't have good speakers, it would sound all awful and tinny."

Then why did you offer?

He then starts rubbing his arms and saying "I'm really hungry. Are you hungry?"
"No, not really."
"Come on, you must want something to eat. Aren't you hungry."
"I told you I wasn't, but if you want to eat something, I guess I'll go with you."
"Ok, great! Where do you want to go?"
"I don't care, you're the one who's hungry."
"No, really. Where do you want to go? Where do you want to go? Where do you want to go? Where do you want to go? Where do you want to go?"
"I don't care."

We leave his awful smelling sausage fest of an apartment, and start walking. I'm not thinking, and I say "Yeah, Wednesday's my lazy day."
He looks at me and says "Today's Sunday."
"Yeah, that's what I meant."
"Well, why did you say Wednesday when you meant Sunday?"

Lightbulb!

"I have a huge geology test on Wednesday that I'm really stressed about. I have to go study for it." I really did, I got a B+!
"Aw, are you sure you don't want to eat with me?"
"Oh, I'm sure."
"Well, let me walk you to the bridge."
"...You really don't have to do that. You must be hungry, go get food."
"No, I want to."
"...Okay."
We're walking towards the bridge, and he asks where I grew up.
"Colorado," I say.
"I hate Colorado."

Goddamn it.

"Well, I loved growing up there."
"How could you? It's such an awful state."

...Wow.

We finally get to the bridge, and I say "Okay, bye! Have a good day."
He puts his hand on my shoulder and says "Anna, I just want to tell you again that you're really beautiful, and if you ever change your mind about dating me, you know how to get ahold of me."
"Great. Bye."

Friday, April 23, 2010

Here I am, Anna. It's my third year of college, last semester. I'm walking to Albertson's, which is across a bridge in my town. There's sometimes a musician, as well as people who panhandle. Today, there's just a musician. A really good cellist, to be exact. I hadn't seen him for about 8 months, so I stood there, watching him play, listening to the cello. He eventually noticed me standing there, and introduced himself.

He had a huge scraggly beard, was wearing a stained knit cap, a black hoodie also sporting stains, and black pants. He was sitting on his amp as he played both with his fingers and his bow. I left to buy food and came back to him still playing. We talked for a little longer, and he gave me his business card. "I thought it was a really sexy design" he told me.

What kind of street musician has business cards? Let alone a cell phone number on the business card?

He then walked me to the end of the block, looked me in the eye and said "Anna, I just want to tell you again that you're really beautiful and I hope that you call me."

I met Paul on my last day in Colorado when I was visiting my best friend Monica last summer.

I look at the rocks he found on the trail and gave to me to hold while he gave me a backrub, and then told me to keep them in memory of him. I look at the pictures of him, and wonder what he looks like when he shaves. I imagine dancing with him again.

I remember lying in his tent, as he gave me a back rub, and telling him that I loved Shakespeare. Paul turned to face me and started reciting the balcony monologue to me from Romeo and Juliet, from memory.

I remember sitting in the hot springs with Monica, just watching him, and then getting out of the hot pool.
I tripped, and Monica goes “I would’ve laughed so hard if you fell.” And Paul looks at us, smiles and says “I know CPR.”

I remember asking him why he became a manager of the hot springs if there was so much extra work. He looks at me and says “because I got a dollar an hour raise.” “Well, was it worth it?” “No.”

And giving Monica and me reflexology, telling me to relax, and I’m thinking ‘well, it’s a little hard to relax when a gorgeous guy is basically giving me a foot massage.’

I remember hiking up the trail and stepping in the creek and Paul freaked out a little and I asked “What, do you drink the water?” “No, but you got your shoe wet! And it’s so uncomfortable, and it’s never going to dry! Why are you wearing ballet flats, anyway?” “Well, it’s not like I knew in advance I’d be going on a hike with you, otherwise I’d probably be wearing jeans and actual shoes.”

“Oh, you live in a tent? I’d love to see it! I’ve never been to this part of Colorado before; would you be willing to show it to me?” I am awesome. This ranks far above “How do say ‘kiss me’ in Spanish?” and “Oh, you’ve never been in my dorm before? Well, now’s the perfect opportunity to check it out.”

Eating thimbleberries, talking about how much cooler rocks look when they’re wet, him telling me about the semi-wild cat he feeds.

Him singing the Beatles’ ‘Come together’ to me, Paul singing jazz music to me and dancing with me on the trail. Paul saying “Just show up at the hot springs. Pretend to drown in the deep end so I can jump in and save you and pretend to give you CPR but really just make out with you.”

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Yesterday I had possibly one of the worst dates of my life. It might even be worse than the fake date with the 31 year-old semi-homeless cellist last semester.

I had hung out with the guy before after talking for a couple weeks on facebook and on the phone. He's studying carpentry, and turned 21 in March. We hung out on Sunday, just drove around and talked. He told me about his favorite TV show, 'Bleach', and attempted to educate me about rap music, which just failed. He was slightly arrogant, but I figured I could ignore that. He also kept mentioning that he only slept with "top shelf girls". I stupidly ignored that red flag.

We talked briefly on Monday, and he told me he was having a terrible day. I texted him yesterday, asking if his day was any better. He said 'not really no'. When a friend is having a bad day, I always ask if there's anything I can do. I like to think I'm a nice person. So I told him 'hey, let me know if there's anything I can do.' He asked if I would go to lunch with him. I said yes, and he came to pick me up. It was going well for about 5 minutes, he had to drive to work to pick up his sunglasses and was blaring rap music so I couldn't have a conversation with him. He got back in the car, and turned the music down.

He asked "where do you want to eat?" and I figured since he asked me to lunch, he should choose. I said "wherever, I don't really have a preference." He said "No, you have to make a decision."
"Oh. Okay. Um. Taco del sol."
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a good Mexican restaurant, over on Higgins."
"I've never been there."
"Oh, well, I can give you directions."
"Okay."

So we start driving, and then this happens:
He's texting and driving as he drives around the roundabout. I ask him not to, because my mom has beat it into my head that if you text and drive, you'll most likely get into an accident.
He defensively says "Don't worry. Come on, live a little. Don't you want to be crazy?"
"Well, not crazy like that."
"What do you have to live for?"

Seriously?

I stare at him. "A lot. Work at Disney World. My cousin's wedding. Graduating from school. Hanging out with my family this summer. A new episode of 'Glee' tonight. I can keep going, I have a plethora of reasons."
"Whatever. I live each day like I could die any second. Because I could."
He then drives up to a yellow light, and it's turning red. He runs the red light.
I ask him "why'd you do that?"
"What? It's not like there were cops around."
"Yeah, but still."
"Hey, nothing's illegal if no one sees you."
"...That's incredibly poor logic."
"Wow, you really have a stick up your ass, don't you?"

....

"Um, I guess I do. Since I want to stay alive."
"You should get it out of there."

Haha.

I get us to the restaurant, and he parks.
"I can't believe you got us here."
"Why?"
"Cause you're a woman."
"Pardon?"
"Yeah, I can't believe I took directions from you."
"I told you I went here last week."
"Yeah, but I drove. That's the real reason we got here."

UGH.

I ask him, "Seriously?"
He replies "Hey, you're not going to let me make fun of faggots around you, so I'm going to make fun of women."
I tell him "There are ways to have a conversation without mocking people, you know."

We get out of the car. I'm wearing a skirt, and he says "Damn girl! You're pale!"
"I know, I'm like a ghost."
"You need to tan."
I stare at him. "No, I'm good. I'd fit in perfectly in the 1600's. Also, I probably won't get skin cancer."
"Why would anyone want to sleep with someone so pale?"
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah."

....This just keeps getting better and better.

So we walk in and order, I pay for myself.
We eat. He tells me about his business he's starting this summer. He's super excited about business cards.

He opens the door for me on the way out, as well as an older man. Okay, I'll give him some points for that. We go to his car and get in. He asks me what I'm going to do. "Take a nap and find out some stuff for a friend about going to school here."

He then says "Oh, well, can I come up to your room with you?"

In these sorts of situations for me, it's always best to play dumb. I tug on my hair, give the Bambi eyes, and act innocent.
I say "Pardon?"
"Never mind", he mumbles.
He then says "You know that everyone wants to sleep with me, right?"
"Oh yeah?"
"Well, look at me. I'm perfect in every way."
"I'm not going to say anything."
"Ouch. You hurt my feelings."
"I didn't think perfection could get hurt feelings. Besides, apparently every girl wants to sleep with you."

He then tells me about his vehement hatred of Disney movies, using the word 'gay' when he means 'stupid' no less than 10 times.

He drives me back to campus, and pulls into the parking lot. He doesn't park, though. He idles in the parking lot and cars start to back up behind us. He turns to me "I guess you want a hug now, don't you?"
"Not really."
"Come on, get the fuck over here."
"Excuse me?"
"There's cars behind us, get the fuck over here and give me a hug."
I give him the fastest hug I've ever given, and get out of the car. He calls after me "Don't get punched!"

I go up to my room and take a nap, only to awake to an instant message from him.

C says:
Thanks for rollin with me btw
Kinda set the tone of a better dayAnna says:
no problem
I'm gladC says:
Might have to rock your world sooner or later you keep this up
Just sayin Anna says:
what?C says:
lol nothingAnna says:
okayC says:
You must have been with a lot of guys who walk all over you
You gotta learn to put up a fight
Get your wayAnna says:
you don't know me very wellC says:
Enlighten meAnna says:
I have to go to work

First of all, who says 'rock your world'? Ick! Again, an example of playing dumb with Bambi eyes. I go to work, and as I'm doing homework that night I get another instant message from him. He asks me 'Did I say something wrong?' and I reply 'well, the most polite way to say this is that our personalities just don't mesh.'

He then tells me 'people never look beyond the surface, but the girl that does will get me, and I'll be laughing all the time.' Um. Okay. I tell him good luck, and he says 'I'm not looking for a girlfriend'. 'Oh, I know.'

Monday, April 19, 2010

My mom has been telling me lately that my 20's are my decade of "change and adventure". I completely agree with her, I'm turning 21 in exactly one month, and I've already changed a lot in this past year.

I've had lots of different jobs (box office, planting flowers at the state capitol, child care at an Evangelical church, working at Ross, working at my town's fanciest restaurant, handing out free ice cream at a gas station, working at a different box office, typing up reports at an office, and babysitting). I'm about to start my summer job next month, at a local ice cream store in my hometown. I'm so excited, who wouldn't want to work at an ice cream store?

I'm almost done with my junior year of school, and then in August I'm flying to Florida for my job at Disney World. I'll be there until January. It's been a dream of mine for years, and I'm so thrilled that I can make this happen.

I made lots of mistakes with boys that I learned from and got humorous stories out of it, traveled to California with my family, went to Portland for spring break, went trick-or-treating on Halloween as Dorothy, lost a family member for the first time to pancreatic cancer (Rest in Peace, Uncle David), had a long distance relationship with a truly stellar guy in Australia, made fantastic new friends, watched more friends get engaged and married, got accepted into the professional program for journalism at my university, and enjoyed my life.

Good job, 20. You were definitely worth living for. I hope 21 is just as exciting.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

A couple weeks ago, I was talking to an RA at the front desk in my dorm. He's a good friend of mine, we were discussing Glee. There's a piano in the lobby that people play sometimes. All of the sudden, music started.

'Yesterday', by the Beatles if we're being specific. And it was really good. I sang along, quietly. When 'Yesterday' ended, 'Let it Be' began. I told my friend "I'm going to go tell them that they're really talented." So I headed down the stairs, to see this cute, curly haired guy in a gray sweatshirt, just playing, looking so content and happy.

I stood a little bit away until he finished and then I said "Wow. You're really amazing." He smiled and said thank you, and asked "What kind of music do you like?" "Anything, really. I like Elton John."

He says "Oh, I bet you'll know this one then," and starts playing 'Your Song' and singing to me.

.....

He finishes, and smiles that gorgeous smile. I'm almost speechless. "...Wow. Thank you, so much."
"No problem. What else do you like?"
"Um, Disney music?"
"Oh, I bet you know this one too. Will you sing along?"

He starts playing 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight'.

OH MY GOD. I'm smiling so hard that my face is hurting as I sing, and melting at the same time.

He introduces himself afterward, and we talk for a little bit. Of course he did choir in high school. Of course he sings bass.

Then he asks if I would like to hear some other music. I sit down on the floor as he basically gives me a private concert. He plays music from one of the Final Fantasy games, some Mozart, and music he's composed.

He eventually leaves with a friend, and I basically float up to my room after I thank him profusely, completely thrilled.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

I got accepted into the Disney College Program last Sunday!! I'm arriving August 11 in Orlando and leaving January 7.

Not to sound terribly cliche, but dreams really do come true. This is the third time I had applied. 2 days after my interview, they mailed my letter. I found out in an email I got when I was in Oregon for spring break, and I may have squealed and then ran into the hotel lobby at 6am to tell my mom as she was pouring herself coffee.